The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus for a vehicle structured to unfold an air bag when the vehicle encounters a collision to reduce the impact load so as to protect a passenger.
Hitherto, a variety of air bag apparatuses have been suggested as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-50052 in order to prevent a direct shock which is generated between the side wall of a car body, for example, a door, which is deformed attributable to the impact load and a person who is sitting on a seat if a vehicle encounters a side collision.
In general, an air bag apparatus of the foregoing type has a panel-shape side bracket extending forwards and secured to a seat back frame disposed in an outer portion of a seat back in the widthwise direction of the vehicle. Moreover, an air bag module including an air bag body and an inflator is attached to the side bracket. If a collision of the vehicle takes place, gas generated by the inflator causes the air bag body to be unfolded forwards in front of the seat back so that the passenger is protected by the air bag body.
However, the above-mentioned conventional technology having a simple structure in which the inflator and the air bag body are covered with a cover suffers from unsatisfactory rigidity. Therefore, the cover can easily be dented if the cover is pressed from outside.
In recent years, a structure has been employed in which the inflator and the air bag body are accommodated in a container molded with an extruded metal material and having the same cross sectional shape in the vertical direction. In this case involving the two (vertical) ends of the container being opened, the problem of unsatisfactory rigidity easily rises.